Research
Indian Workers Remain Alive to The Class Struggle Despite Decades of Neoliberal Onslaught
A new dossier by the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research examines the impact of years of neoliberal policies on the Indian working class and the long struggle by workers across sectors to protect their basic rights
Livelihoods
Bees bring honey and money to poor villages north of Mumbai
While climate change is overwhelming the globe, a micro-agricultural intervention in Maharashtra’s impoverished Palghar district is helping villagers fight unseasonal rain and other crop-eroding surprises. More than 1,500 villagers, mostly women, across 113 villages in this Warli tribal belt now own bee boxes, providing a window of relief from chronic family alcoholism and erratic daily wage living.
‘I See No Future’: Sherpas Leave the Job They Made Famous
Perils of the job and a scant safety net are pushing climbing guides to leave the industry and ensure the next generation has other options. Nearly one-third of the 315 recorded deaths on Everest over the past century have been of Sherpa guides, according to the Himalayan Database, a mountaineering record-keeping body. Just last month, three Sherpas died when they were hit by a column of ice at a glacier near the mountain’s base camp.
In the Courts
SC: Pension cannot be denied due to incorrect deductions
As per a new judgement passed by the Supreme Court, an employee can’t be denied pension just because his/her employer made any wrong deductions on their part.
After 18 Years of Litigation, Karnataka HC Redirects Beedi Labour Dispute to Hubbali Industrial Tribunal
Women workers of the closed unit in Nippani, an important town near the Maharashtra and Karnataka border, are anguished at the decision after 18 years of futile litigation.
Providing Jobs
Slowdown hits hard. Manipur’s jobless rate twice that of national average.
A slowdown in its service sector seems to be a contributing factor for the unrest in Manipur. Data from the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey for 21-22 shows Manipur to be among the states with the highest unemployment for the age group of 15 years and above at 9 per cent--more than double the national unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent in 2021-22, and higher than other states in the Northeast.
'India’s Workforce Not Rising, Quality of Jobs Very Low': CMIE’s Mahesh Vyas
India’s unemployment rate increased for the fourth consecutive month to 8.11% in April from 7.8% in March 2023, showed data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) on May 1. In a special interview to The Wire, Mahesh Vyas, managing director and chief executive of CMIE, said, “India’s workforce – which is usually understood as the set of people who are employed – is not rising. So, while India’s population has been rising and in particular the working age population, India’s workforce is not rising,” he added.
India Ranks High in Youth Unemployment
Kaushik Basu tweets: “Youth unemployment table below. This is not where India should be. The nation's youth deserves better. Low employment erodes human capital & long-run growth. We need policies to incentivize job creation. There is enough talent in the nation that, given the space, can do it.”
Wage Revision
Coal India Q4 profit drops 18% on wage bill; record net profit in FY23
Coal India Ltd, the world's largest coal miner, on Sunday reported a 17.7 percent drop in its March quarter net profit on higher provisions made for wage revision of employees. The decline in profit in the fourth quarter of 2022-23 (April 2022 to March 2023) was despite coal production and dispatches to users. The company said salaries for non-executives are due for revision from July 1, 2021 and pending finalisation of a wage agreement with unions, a provision of Rs 5,870.16 crore has been made in the quarter.
Layoffs and Hirings
US Department of Labour fines McDonald’s for hiring 10-year-olds as unpaid workers
Children as young as 10 were employed at a McDonald's franchise in Kentucky, violating federal labour laws. They prepared food, operated registers, and worked the drive-through window.
Scramble for AI talent shifts to India, salaries being doubled
Indian techies are reportedly chased with new job offerings and fancy salary packages by tech giants as India is seen as a fertile ground to poach for engineers to build their own AI engine projects.
Cognizant to cut 3,500 jobs amid looming fears of a sharp slump in revenue this year
Cognizant is looking at enhancing operating discipline, a move that will now impact nearly 3,500 jobs at the firm. The impending layoffs at Cognizant will follow that of another IT giant Accenture, which had earlier announced that 19,000 people would be handed the pink slip
1300 jobs impacted at Volvo due to economic challenges
The job cuts are a strategic move to reduce costs and remain profitable, but they will have significant impacts on the affected employees and their families.
Benefits for Workers
UAE warns companies to provide employee housing
The ministry announced on Twitter that establishments are required to provide accommodation if they have 50 or more workers and if those workers earn AED1,500 or less.
Max Life partners with MSME body IIA to provide life insurance to MSME workers in UP
Life insurance company Max Life on Monday announced a strategic tie-up with an MSME representative body Indian Industries Association (IIA) to provide life insurance to employees working in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) based in Uttar Pradesh. The insurance programme will cover more than 11 lakh MSME workers affiliated with IIA and their families in the state...
Jobseekers
Travails of Bastar’s Fighters who weren’t
Over 51,000 people applied for Bastar Fighters, a police unit aimed at combating Left-wing extremism in Chhattisgarh, but only 2,057 candidates made the cut. Those who did not, find themselves cut off from their homes, unable to return for fear of Maoist retribution.
Chandigarh PGI nurses pained by staff shortage, delay in sanction of more posts
Despite conducting a nursing cadre assessment almost eight years ago, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is still awaiting the sanction of 1,500 posts.
Poll Promises
2.5 lakh vacant govt posts will be filled if Congress wins: Rahul Gandhi
"We are going to provide employment to 10 lakh youngsters in five years," he said, addressing rallies after campaigning for Congress candidates…He said the Karnataka government will also spend Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the state's farmers. "We'll dedicate a lot of funds to farmers. We are also going to give a subsidy of Rs 7 per litre of milk to dairy farmers," Rahul said.
‘Gig Workers Will Be Decision Makers in Upcoming Elections’: Union Leader
Labour union leader Shaik Salauddin on Congress' promise of welfare boards for gig workers in Karnataka, Rajasthan. Days before the state goes to polls, the Congress released its manifesto which stated that it would set up a gig workers' welfare board, and that the seed fund for the board is Rs 3,000 crore. The party also mentioned a minimum wage for gig workers.
Jobs in private sector for Kannadigas, free LPG cylinders among 12-point JD(S) manifesto for Karnataka
The manifesto was announced by Janata Dal (Secular) chief and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and the party national president H D Kumaraswamy.
BJP manifesto in K’taka pledges UCC, 10L jobs
The BJP chief said that the party’s Government in the State has abolished the “unconstitutional” reservation for Muslims. Just before the polls were announced, the Cabinet decided to do away with the 4 per cent reservation for Muslims and divide it equally between Lingayats and Vokkaligas -- two politically-influential caste groups in Karnataka.